This Blinkist review confirms it is the best value audiobook summary subscription service by far, with great narrators and high-quality summaries. If you want to absorb essential knowledge quickly, Blinkist is the best for price and app quality.
Three years ago, I signed up for a free Blinkist trial to try out audiobook summaries. I liked the service so much. I purchased a yearly subscription, which I still have. Why?
Blinkist Rating |
4.6/5.0 |
💸 Pricing |
★★★★★ |
| 🚦 Audiobook Availability | ★★★★★ |
| 📰 Library Depth | ★★★★✩ |
| ↩ Returns Policy |
★★★★★ |
| ☎ Customer Support |
★★★★✩ |
Blinkist Review Summary
This multiyear Blinkist review and test reveals that Blinkist is a professional service; their narrators are first class, and the books are logically laid out and easy to follow. 6,500 books have a high-quality 15-minute audiobook and written summary if you prefer to read. With an annual subscription, you save 50%, so it costs only $6.50/month.
Blinkist adds 500 new book summaries annually, meaning you will never run out of new content. I even created a 1 Day MBA list using Blinkist, which I am sure you will love.
Blinkist Features
| ⚡ Features |
6,500 Written & Audiobook Summaries |
| 🏆 Unique Features |
1 Free Book per Day |
| 🎯 Best for | People Seeking Knowledge Fast |
| ♲ Subscription | Monthly, Yearly |
| 💰 Price | $12.99/mo or $6.50/mo with an annual discount |
| 💻 OS | Android, Apple |
| ✂ Discount | -50% Discount Annual Subscription Link |
| 🌎 Region | Global |
Pros
★ Over 6,500 book summaries
★ Professionally Summarized & Narrated
★ Extremely low-cost subscription
★ Unlimited Access to Audiobooks
★ Free Users Get 1 Summary Free per Day
★ Android, Apple & Amazon Alexa Compatible
Cons
✘ Email-only support
✘ No Book Ownership
Is Blinkist Worth It?
Yes, Blinkist is worth it if you want to quickly get knowledge from thousands of books. Signing up for an annual subscription saves you 50%, which means Blinkist is incredible value for money.
What is a Book Summary Service?
Blinkist and getAbstract are services that pay writers and narrators to summarize a non-fiction book. A typical book might take between 4 to 10 hours to read or listen to.
That is a long time to invest in learning a few key lessons. Book summary services distill the book’s key messages and takeaways and transform them into much shorter versions.
Of course, a summary audiobook service will only work with educational, self-improvement, or business books; you could not summarize a Sherlock Holmes Crime Thriller into 15 minutes; the book would be ruined.
How Does Blinkist Work?
Blinkist summarizes non-fiction books so its members can get the key messages of a book in 15 minutes rather than the many hours it takes to read the book. Blinkist has a broad mix of professional writers and narrators who deliver ebook and audiobook summaries. At an excellent price point and a great selection of the best business, educational, and self-improvement books, Blinkist is my favorite service.
As a passionate Audiobook listener, I was very excited at the opportunity to listen to an entire book in 15 minutes. Interestingly, there were books I thought had some great messages, and I learned from them.
There were also books I was very pleased I did not spend 10 hours reading to get that simple or unremarkable message.
In my opinion, this service is great.
I particularly like the feature that allows you to listen to the summaries of the New York Times Bestsellers List (see image right).
The single downside is that you can only access the books as long as you subscribe to the service. This is, however, understandable because the service is unlimited listening; you do not buy a book; you buy access to all the books.
Is Blinkist Free?
Yes, amazingly, Blinkist is free; they allow you to register for their free plan, in which you can access a free book summary of their choice every single day.
I assume the idea is that you will like Blinkist so much that you will later upgrade to the Premium service to get access to the whole library and choose what you would like to listen to. Of course, they are correct; this is exactly what I did.
How Much is Blinkist Premium
Blinkist has a single premium plan that gives you access to as many books as you want. The key difference is in the pricing. Opting for a monthly subscription costs $12.99 per month in the USA, meaning $155.88 per year.
However, I recommend paying for the year in advance, which is a single payment of $79.99, which gives you 12 months of access for a 50% discount, which is, in my opinion, a great deal.
getAbstract is also an excellent service that costs $299 per year, with access to 20,000 summaries, but in terms of value for money, Blinkist is a clear winner.
Customer Service & Returns Policy
Regarding returning books, I have previously mentioned you do not actually own the books; you access the service. It is more like Netflix rather than buying a DVD. So, ultimately, there is nothing to return.
You can cancel your subscription anytime online with a few clicks, and the customer services teams are available via email or online.
Blinkist App & Device Compatibility
Playstore App Rating: 4.4 ☆ Excellent
The App itself is a breeze to use, simple and effective.
My library is well organized, and my saved and favorite books are easily accessible.
I particularly like the ability to highlight text in a book via the App or Browser.
You can select the text and click highlight, which will be saved in your Highlights tab.
This is perfect for keeping track of those lightbulb moments or key inspiring messages in a book.
The App is highly rated in the App stores, and impressively, Blinkist is also compatible with Amazon’s Alexa smart speaker so that Alexa can read them to you.
Alternatives & Competitors
There are only two major suppliers of book summary services: Blinkist, a newer startup, and getAbstract, a well-established player. Both companies are outstanding, but Blinkist is clearly better for individuals. Blinkist has a much better pricing model and has the most up-to-date library of bestsellers and business audiobook summaries.
| getAbstract vs. Blinkist Results |  |
 |
| Rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Audiobook Type | Summary | Summary |
| Summaries | eBook, Audiobook, Analysis | eBook, Audiobook |
| Summary Collection | 20,000+ | 6,5000 + |
| Summaries/month | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Cost/month | $29.90 | $12.99 |
| Cost/yearly | $299.00 | $79.99 |
| Free Membership | No | Yes |
| Perfect for: | Business | Individuals |
| Result | Winner | |
| Visit getAbstract | Visit Blinkist |
Discount Coupon
You can get a 50% discount on Blinkist by clicking my [Blinkist Partner Discount Link], scrolling to the bottom of the new page, click annual, and you will see the discount. Enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Blinkist worth it?
Yes, Blinkist is worth it; with 25 million app downloads and a 4.6-star app store rating, its customers think so too. Excellent narration and a smooth app mean you can absorb a lot of knowledge quickly with Blinkist summaries.
How much does Blinkist cost?
Blinkist costs $15.99/mo, or if you choose an annual subscription, Blinkist costs $99, which is $6.50/mo. The annual subscription will save you 50%
Is Blinkist free?
Yes, Blinkist has a free membership, in which you will receive one free audiobook summary per day. You cannot choose which book; it is selected by the Blinkist team. Blinkist Free is a great way to try the service and let serendipity choose your next book.
What books are on Blinkist?
The books on Blinkist are exclusively non-fiction. That means academic, self-help, personal finance, business, wellness, and scientific books. For example, if you want to absorb in 8 hours an entire MBA reading list, you can do so with Blinkist.
Does Blinkist cost money?
Yes and No. Yes, Blinkist does cost money if you want to have unlimited listening and choose your books. If you want to listen to a single book per day that Blinkist chooses, you can have it for free.
How much is Blinkist premium?
Blinkist premium costs $15.99 per month, or you can save 50% by opting for their annual subscription, which costs $99 and averages to $6.50/mo.
Can I buy stock in Blinkist?
No, you cannot buy stock in Blinkist. Blinkist is a privately owned company and is not floated on any stock exchange. Blinkist is owned by Holger Seim, Niklas Jansen, Tobi Balling, and Sebastian Klein. Additional funding comes from Insight Partners.
How does Blinkist make money?
Blinkist makes money by summarizing non-fiction books into written text and audiobooks lasting between 10-20 minutes. Access to the library of book summaries is how Blinkist makes money. Blinkist also offers to share revenue with the original book authors.
Is Blinkist on the stock market?
No, Blinkist is not on the stock market; Blinkist is a privately held company based in Berlin, Germany. There is, however, a lot of interest from the public in investing in Blinkist as it is a rare European tech unicorn.
Can I get the daily Blinkist emailed to me?
Yes, when you sign up for the free version of Blinkist, they will automatically email you daily to share the "Blinkist Daily Insight."
Can I listen to Blinkist offline?
Yes, Blinkist's intelligent app will automatically download any book you add to your library, so you can listen offline.
Can you listen to Blinkist on a browser?
Yes, you can listen to all Blinkist titles through your browser. Login at Blinkist.com, select your book, and click play.
Can you read the full book on Blinkist?
No, you cannot read the full book on Blinkist unless you pay extra. Blinkist provides discounts to those who want the full-book experience without having to change app. But full books are not included in the base price.
Does Blinkist have children’s books?
No Blinkist does not have children's books. Blinkist is a non-fiction book summary service, and children's books being already short and fictional, are not part of the Blinkist scope.
Does Blinkist have full books?
Yes, if you like a book summary on Blinkist, you can purchase the full book through the Blinkist app. You will need to pay extra for the full book because the original author also needs to earn money from their work.
Does Blinkist really work?
Yes, Blinkist does work well. With professional voice narrators and editors summarizing the content, Blinkist works exceptionally well, which is why it is so successful.
Blinkist Has The Entire Catalog of MBA Study Books
| 1 Day DIY MBA Books List | How to Get The Book |
|---|---|
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale CarnegieLeadershipHow to Win Friends & Influence People is considered the quintessential self-help book. Many prominent people point to its techniques as one of the secrets of their success. The stories and lessons changed my life, and I am sure it will change yours. Carnegie’s advice concrete enough for you to easily implement it in your own life. | Get it on Blinkist |
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben HorowitzLeadershipThis book focuses on why the job of a CEO is among the toughest and loneliest in the world. Insights into leadership and how you can survive all the stress and heartache involved. | Get it on Blinkist |
Capitalism and Freedom by Milton FriedmanEconomicsA true classic, Capitalism, and Freedom (1962) is one of the most influential books on the relationship between economic and political freedom. Written at the height of the Cold War between Soviet socialism and Western capitalism, Milton Friedman argues that only free markets can guarantee liberty. His theory remains every bit as relevant and thought-provoking today as when it was first published. | Get it on Blinkist |
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanLeadershipDaniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) – a recap of the decades of research that led to his winning the Nobel Prize. He contributed to our current understanding of psychology and behavioral economics. Kahneman and his colleagues have significantly contributed to a new understanding of the human mind. We now have a better understanding of how decisions are made, why certain judgment errors are so common, and how we can improve it. | Get it on Blinkist |
Purple Cow by Seth GodinMarketingTransform Your Business by Being Remarkable Seth Godin is a marketing legend, and he explains why traditional marketing no longer works, and why to be successful, you need to build Purple Cows. These are remarkable products and services that stand out from the crowd. They also explain how you can reach your target market once you’ve found your own Purple Cow. | Get it on Blinkist |
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy FerrisDigital EconomyThe 4-Hour Workweek (2009) describes the life of the New Rich, people who’ve emancipated themselves from the slavery of office work and built a life centered around happiness in the here and now. If you want to lead such a life too, you’ll have to start by being more productive, outsourcing most of your work to third parties, and finding a source of continuous, almost entirely passive, income. | Get it on Blinkist |
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill GeorgeLeadershipTrue North (2007) is a guide to discovering your inner compass and staying true to yourself while developing the skills you need to be an authentic leader. By uncovering your values and motivations, you’ll gain the tools you need to build a professional life that remains true to who you are. | Get it on Blinkist |
Scaling Up Excellence by Robert Sutton and Huggy RaoLeadershipScaling Up Excellence is the first major business publication that deals with how leaders can effectively spread exemplary practices in their organization. Covering the latest research in the organizational behavior field with lots of insightful industry case studies, and many helpful practices & strategies. Leaders and managers can understand major scaling challenges and show how to identify excellent niches, spread them, and cultivate the right mindset within their organizations. | Get it on Blinkist |
The Wisdom of Crowds by James SurowieckiLeadershipWhy the Many Are Smarter Than the Few The Wisdom of Crowds examines why, and under which circumstances, groups of people derive better solutions to problems than any one person, even if that person is an expert. By analyzing the way individuals and groups make decisions, the book gets to the bottom of the wisdom of crowds and shows how this wisdom can be used to make reliable decisions. | Get it on Blinkist |
Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard RumeltStrategy Good Strategy, Bad Strategy dissects good strategies by using historical examples from a variety of fields and offers insight into developing your own effective strategies through practical advice and a clear blueprint. | Get it on Blinkist |
Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard SchultzStrategyHow Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time Pour Your Heart Into It takes you on an interesting journey of how Starbucks came to be a success. It sheds light on its beginnings, reveals how the quick growth rate was possible, and sets out to explain how businesses can learn from its strategies and principles. | Get it on Blinkist |
The Lean Startup by Eric RiesStrategyThe Lean Startup (2011) helps start-ups and tech companies develop sustainable business models using continuous rapid prototyping and focusing on customer-feedback data. The method is based on the concepts of lean manufacturing and agile development, it backed up by insightful case studies from the last few decades. | Get it on Blinkist |
Tribes We Need You to Lead Us by Seth GodinMarketingSeth Godin reveals the most powerful unit of social organization: the “tribe,” a group of people connected to a cause who together drive change in society. It shares how we can harness the power of the internet to form and lead our own tribes. Tribes also advocates the need for change and leadership, so we can grow as a company or as a society. | Get it on Blinkist |
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. ChristensenPersonal DevelopmentAs a leading business expert and cancer survivor, Clayton M. Christensen provides you with his unique insight on how to lead a life that brings both professional success and genuine happiness. Christensen touches on diverse topics such as motivation and how you can harness it, how to strengthen relationships with loved ones, and how to build a strong family culture. | Get it on Blinkist |
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon HillPersonal DevelopmentThe secrets of 40 millionaires' wealth The timeless classic, Think and Grow Rich (1937) investigates the methods of the 500 most successful people of this time, including the world’s richest men, politicians, and famous inventors. Published amidst the Great Depression, Think and Grow Rich has sold over 100 million copies. | Get it on Blinkist |
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. CoveyPersonal DevelopmentLearn the habits of those who achieved everything Required reading for nearly every MBA, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989) is the influential self-help guide that teaches principles of effectiveness. Once you make these principles into habits, you’ll be well on your way to more success, both in your personal and your professional life. Change your habits and your life with this must-know self-help method beloved by millions. | Get it on Blinkist |
Mastery by George LeonardPersonal DevelopmentThe Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment Mastery reveals how you can shift your mindset to achieve long-term success in new activities. Drawing on real examples from sports, psychology, and mindfulness, this book explains the five essential elements for achieving mastery in any discipline and gives us the tools we need to bounce back from pitfalls. | Get it on Blinkist |
The War of Art by Steven PressfieldPersonal DevelopmentBreak Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles The War of Art helps you identify your inner creative battles against fear and self-doubt and offers advice on how to win those battles. An inspirational book for anyone who’s had trouble realizing their passion, it offers an examination of those negative forces that keep you from realizing your dreams, and shows how you can defeat your fears to achieve your goals. | Get it on Blinkist |
Rework by Jason FriedEntrepreneurshipRework (2010) throws out the traditional notions of what it takes to run a business and offers a collection of unorthodox advice, ranging from productivity to communication and product development. These lessons are based on the authors’ own experiences in building, running, and growing their company to a point where it generates millions of dollars in profits annually. | Get it on Blinkist |
Made to Stick by Chip and Dan HeathMarketingWhy Some Ideas Survive and Others Die Made to Stick is an excellent book that explains why some ideas become popular, while others wither and die. The book lays out the most important characteristics of what makes ideas “stick” in the mind, and how to make them work for you. | Get it on Blinkist |
Blue Ocean Shift Beyond Competing by W. Chan KimStrategyProven Steps to Inspire Confidence and Seize New Growth Blue Ocean Shift (2017) is a step-by-step guide to overtaking the competition in an overcrowded industry. Based on decades of the authors’ practical experience, the books explain why you should drive to make competition obsolete and how you can open up new worlds of opportunity. | Get it on Blinkist |
The Tipping Point by Malcolm GladwellMarketingHow Little Things Can Make a Big Difference The Tipping Point discusses why certain ideas, products, and behaviors spread like epidemics and what we can do to consciously trigger and have control over such viral growth. | Get it on Blinkist |
First, Break All the Rules by Marcus BuckinghamManagementWhat the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently First, Break all the Rules shows how great management differs from conventional approaches. The book covers how some commonly held notions about career and management are actually misleading. Based on a large survey of successful managers the book introduces the key strategies that great managers use in their jobs. | Get it on Blinkist |
Good to Great by Jim CollinsStrategyWhy Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't Good to Great (2001) presents the findings of a five-year study by the author and his research team. The team identified public companies that had achieved enduring success after years of mediocre performance and isolated the factors which differentiated those companies from their lackluster competitors. | Get it on Blinkist |
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus BuckinghamManagementHow To Develop Your Talents and Those of the People You Manage Now, Discover Your Strengths (2004) provides insight into our strengths, where they come from, and why we should focus on them. Essentially, tips and techniques for detecting natural talents and using them to put yourself or your employees on the path to excellence. | Get it on Blinkist |
Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got by Jay AbrahamEntrepreneurship21 Ways You Can Out-think, Out-perform, and Out-earn the Competition Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got (2000) is a guide to spotting new opportunities, securing new clients, and succeeding, no matter what your area of business. The book discusses how to make more out of what you already have and how best to use it to your personal and business advantage. | Get it on Blinkist |
What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There by Marshall GoldsmithPersonal DevelopmentHow Successful People Become Even More Successful! Your people skills become increasingly important the further you climb up the ladder of success. What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There (2007) describes some of the bad habits that hold back people and explains how to change them. | Get it on Blinkist |
The Long Tail by Chris AndersonDigital EconomyWhy the Future of Business is Selling Less of More The Long Tail challenges existing notions of the market and the entertainment industry by looking at the massive influence of the internet on the economy. Due to new modes of content creation and distribution, it can be more profitable to offer a large number and wide variety of products that appeal to niche consumer groups rather than one product aimed at the masses. | Get it on Blinkist |
Digital Darwinism by Tom GoodwinDigital EconomySurvival of the Fittest in the Age of Digital Disruption Digital Darwinism (2018) provides critical insight into what makes a business disruptive and what executives should be focusing on in order to stay successful in today’s fast-changing global markets. | Get it on Blinkist |
Business Model Generation by Alexander OsterwalderStrategyA Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers Business Model Generation (2010) is a comprehensive guide to building innovative business models. From empathizing and connecting with customers to finding inspiration for products and learning from some of today’s most game-changing platforms, these blinks will help you kick-start your business thinking. This book you will want to by in print. | Get it on Blinkist |
Blinkist Services, Features & Benefits Table
| Audiobook Service | |
|---|---|
| Our Rating | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
| Do You Own the Audiobook | ✘ |
| Lifetime Access to Books | ✘ |
| Audiobooks Collection | 3K+ |
| Membership /month | $12.99 |
| Membership /yearly | $79.99 |
| Audiobook Service | |
| # Audiobooks | Unlimited |
| Subscription Required | No |
| Audio Quality | Good |
| Books Returns Policy | N/A |
| Customer Support | Email Only |
| Special Services | 1 Free Book per Day |
| eBooks | ✔ |
| App Store Rating | 4.4 ☆ |
| Devices | iPhone, Android, PC, Alexa |
Blinkist Audiobooks Video
Blinkist Review 2024: Is It Worth It? We Test It!
This Blinkist review confirms it is the best value audiobook summary subscription service by far, with great narrators and high-quality summaries. If you want to absorb essential knowledge quickly, Blinkist is the best for price and app quality.
Product SKU: NA
Product Brand: NA
Product Currency: USD
Product Price: 6.50
Price Valid Until: 2025-01-08
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.6
I am interested in getting a subscription for myself and another subscription for Christmas for my adult daughter in another town. Am I able to subscribe for myself and get a 50 % discount on her subscription?
Thanks form your help.
Hi James, yes I think so just get 2 annual memberships.
Barry